Accelerating the Entrepreneurial Journey

Article by:

Will Humphreys

EO Arizona

Will Humphreys, EO Arizona
EO Accelerator Graduate – March 2011

Four years ago, a friend and EO member encouraged me to join Accelerator, a program that helps entrepreneurs gain entry into the organization. I had been struggling with my small business for some time, and this friend knew that I could be helped. I decided to join, but I never attended a meeting. I thought I was too busy and had too many “fires” to put out to attend any of the activities. After that year passed, I was at my wit’s end. My business owned me, and I was at its mercy. I decided it was time for a drastic change— either get help or get rid of the business.

I decided to seek help by finally giving Accelerator a try. After attending my first quarterly Accelerator event, I was shocked to see that other people shared in my pain. I was then put into an Accelerator accountability group with an EO mentor. For the first time, I began to see what it felt like to work “on” my business and not “in” it. The results were incredible. I saw instant improvements at work, but nothing prepared me for the change that was to come.

I started seeing drastic shifts in my company’s culture, processes and profits. As my company grew, my challenges changed and my need for the accountability group grew. On one occasion, our EO mentor stayed home from skiing with his family in order to help prevent my business from collapsing due to its exponential growth. Talk about dedication! I was blown away by the continued support from my mentor and colleagues in the Accelerator program.

Thanks to Accelerator and EO, I graduated into the organization and have since doubled my profits. What’s more, I now have three office locations, and I feel as though I am just getting started. Whatever I do moving forward, I know that EO will be a part of it. I hope to give back for all I have been given by being the best EO member I can be.

Will Humphreys is the owner of Affinity Physical Therapy. E-mail Will at will@affinitypt.com. For more information on Accelerator, visit http://accelerator.eonetwork.org.